Pro-military supporters launch projectiles at Yangon residents on February 25, 2021, after weeks of mass demonstrations against the military coup.
Sai Aung Main | AFP | Getty Images
SINGAPORE – Myanmar’s military has been banned from using Facebook and Instagram with immediate effect, Facebook said in a blog on Thursday.
“Events since the February 1 coup, including deadly violence, have precipitated the need for this ban. We believe that the risks of allowing Tatmadaw on Facebook and Instagram are very great,” said the statement, referring to the official name of the forces. armed forces of Myanmar.
State-owned and military-controlled media companies will also be blocked on the two social media platforms, while commercial companies linked to the army will not be able to run ads.
The scam greatly increases the danger posed by the above behaviors and the likelihood that online threats can cause harm offline.
The ban does not affect ministries and government agencies that provide essential public services, such as the ministry of health and the ministry of education, said the social media giant.
The Myanmar army seized power on February 1, after arresting members of the democratically elected government, including Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. The military claimed that there was electoral fraud in last year’s election and declared a state of emergency for one year.
Thousands of people protested the coup and clashes with the authorities at times became violent. Reports say that at least three protesters and a policeman have died so far.
Facebook said that in recent years it has removed content from military pages and accounts for violating community standards and preventing Tatmadaw from abusing the platform.
Now it will “indefinitely” suspend army accounts, the company said, citing reasons such as the military history of “exceptionally serious human rights abuses and the clear risk of future military-initiated violence in Myanmar”.
He added that the military has been trying to rebuild networks involving misrepresentation and uploading of content that was previously removed for violating Facebook’s policies against violence, incitement and damage coordination.
“The scam greatly increases the danger posed by the above behaviors and the likelihood that online threats can cause harm offline,” said Facebook.
A report commissioned by Facebook found in 2018 that the social media giant had previously failed to prevent the platform “from being used to foster division and incite offline violence.”
“We agree that we can and should do more,” said Facebook at the time.
In 2018, the tech giant banned military-related individuals and organizations, including junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, the general who mounted the recent coup.